Migrants are transported to cities nationwide, and there is not enough housing or shelter to hold everyone. The influx of migrants caused the mayor of New York City, Eric Adams, to declare a state of emergency.
Play Areas Turned in the Migrant Shelters
Almost overnight, New York City converted a popular play area for children and adults into a shelter for migrants.
Hundreds of students from public and private schools in the city use this area for sports and other recreational purposes.
On Randalls Island in New York City, public soccer fields were converted into a shelter housing 2,000 single adult migrants. The work started the day after the announcement was made.
Mamadou Bah, a high school senior, arrived at the site for soccer practice only to find the fields were already being transformed into the shelter.
“It’s Not Fair”
“It’s not fair,” he said, talking about the city taking away chances from the soccer players.
Several soccer coaches and community leaders voiced their outrage over the new shelter plan, arguing it would deprive the children in New York City of recreation and time outdoors.
According to the Randalls Island Park Alliance, “more than 3,000 permit hours of recreation will need to be canceled this year alone due to the migrant shelter plans.”
Over 100,000 migrants who have entered the United States through the southern Texas border have been sent to New York City via bus and plane, and the city is out of room.
A State of Emergency
New York City Mayor Eric Adams called for a state of emergency to help battle the crisis.
The overcrowding couldn’t be ignored when dozens of migrants resorted to sleeping on the sidewalk outside Manhattan’s iconic Roosevelt Hotel, which also doubles as a migrant intake center.
After being told there was no more room in the shelter system, these migrants had no choice but to lay cardboard boxes on the sidewalk to sleep on.
Councilwoman Vickie Paladino said the surge in migrants “Is impacting New Yorkers’ quality of life” and the situation is “Absolutely out of control.”
… As Busloads of Migrants Continue To Arrive
Leaders in New York City are pleading for help while busloads of migrants continue to arrive. They have no other option than to create shelters and places for the migrants to sleep.
One migrant from Venezuela, Miguel Mujica, has no issues with his living arrangements at a newly opened shelter at McCarren Park in Brooklyn. While he stays here, Mujica’s wife and two children stay at a different migrant hotel in Brooklyn.
Mujica said he and his family have been treated “very well,” and they aren’t stopped from doing anything.
The migrant family enjoys three hot meals a day, including specially prepared Venezuelan cuisine, free Wi-Fi and international calls at the center, and use of the park’s community pool next door to the center.
:The Family Swam From 12 PM Until 5 PM and Thoroughly Enjoyed Their Time at the Pool”
“I brought my wife and children to the pool on Sunday, and there was no problem,” Mujica told a reporter. The family swam from 12 pm until 5 pm and thoroughly enjoyed their time at the pool.
The migrant shelter at McCarren Park has no curfew and round-the-clock access to snacks, fruit, water, and juice. Although there is no hot coffee, Mujica said, “it’s good here.”
He also said they mostly serve Venezuelan dishes such as pasta and rice with chicken, beef, or goat.
The shelter has spacious, clean living quarters with restrooms and showers for the migrants.
They Are Taking Advantage of the Free Food and Housing
Mujica is saving money to rent a place for him and his family to live, but in the meantime, they are taking advantage of the free food and housing.
Mujica made $40 a month as a forensic pathology assistant in Venezuela.
In America, Mujica can earn between $700 and $800 a week working under the table doing demolition and construction in Brooklyn. He applied for his work permit, but it hasn’t been granted yet.
Mujica applied for asylum and had an interview with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, where he was given an immigration court hearing scheduled for 2025.
The Migrant Crisis Will Cost New York City $12 Billion
With thousands of illegal immigrants crossing the border, the process is slow and time-consuming.
Mayor Eric Adams urged the Biden administration to declare a state of emergency over the southern border to help officials respond to the large number of asylum seekers in New York City.
Mayor Adams said the migrant crisis will cost New York City $12 billion without state and federal aid.
The post NYC Playgrounds Seized for Migrant Shelters: Illegal Immigrants Splash in Pools While Locals Lose Recreational Spaces! first appeared on The Net Worth Of.
Featured Image Credit: Shutterstock / Roy De La Cruz. The people shown in the images are for illustrative purposes only, not the actual people featured in the story.
Source: New York Post